A FOOTBALL club has lost a long-running court battle over improvements made to its home ground.

Bisley FC's two-year dispute with Surrey Heath Borough Council came to an end at Woking Magistrates' Court on Friday, with three representatives from the club and the landowner fined for planning offences.

In March 2008, the council ordered Bisley FC to demolish floodlight columns and their underground bases by June 3, but a local authority inspection showed the work had not been carried out on time.

The club had also been told to change the use of its Church Lane home from 'mixed use of sports ground' to just 'sports ground'.

David Pierce, director of landowner Bisley Health and Country Club, initially denied failing to comply with an enforcement order and failing to change the use of land, but later changed both pleas to guilty.

Meanwhile, Simon Hollis and Michael Clement, representing the club itself, pleaded guilty to the second offence relating to change of use.

All three men were fined £200 per offence but got an absolute discharge on grounds of good behaviour.

For more on this story, see this week's Chobham News & Mail, out on Thursday, December 11.